"Nathan, can you please just tell me? Pleaseeeeeee?" Squeezing his hand, I take another look around the street, trying to spot what could possibly be our location.
He shakes his head, laughing at my antics. "N-no wa-way. I t-to-told y-you, ou-our d-date is a-a su-surprise."
"Not even for a kiss?" I wink at him, guiding him off the busy sidewalk and through the entrance of a park. The look he gives me is one of mock anger, but I can tell he's in no real rush to end what I've started; Nathan's just as eager for the contact as I am.
Leaning myself back against a thick tree trunk, I pull him towards me, gently tugging at his scarf to angle his face closer to mine.
His hands are freezing against my cheeks, like ice, and yet it makes the kiss that much warmer, that much softer. Groaning, he pulls away, resting his forehead against mine.
"St-stop be-being di-dis-distracting." His lips brush my own has he speaks, only egging me on to trail kisses across his jaw.
"E-Emma, pl-lease?" Pulling away, he smiles at me, nose red from the cold, wrapping his arms tight to pull me against his chest. "I-I w-want t-to d-do th-this right, th-the da-date, us. L-let m-me d-do th-that?"
His words warm my heart, and I let him lead the way through the bustling streets, keeping me close to his side whenever we encounter large crowds of fellow pedestrians.
The streets are packed from end to end, both with vehicles, and bikers,offering a a humming background noise to our walk. Everyone on the sidewalk is quick on their feet, moving in an endless blur of motion, desperate to take cover in one of the neighboring buildings due to the frigid breeze.
When we enter the mall I send him a questioning look, debating the possibilities of what we could be doing; maybe go to one of the restaurants? Or to watch a movie at the theater?
We take the escalator up to the second floor, making our way through the bustling halls to a brightly lit, childhood favorite of mine whenever it came to shopping.
Taking notice of my grin, Nathan visibly relaxes, turning to face me with a smile.
"Are we really going to Build-A-Bear?" I'm trying to hide my excitement, but it's been years since I even entered the store, let alone entertained the thought of actually building a bear here.
Nodding, he pulls me into the store, only stopping when we're standing before the wall of stuffed toy options, next to a little boy debating between the polar bear and the turtle.
"Which one are you going to get?" Leaning against his arm, I carefully consider the question, admiring the variety of colors and creatures they've managed to bring together. More than half of them aren't even bears.
"I think I'm going to get the Penguin." He smiles down at me, trying not to laugh at my choice.
"I-I d-didn't ha-hav-have y-you pe-pegged as a p-pen-penguin k-kind o-of gi-girl."
I laugh as I hold my penguin, waiting for Nathan until he picks a giraffe out of the bin. Hand in hand, we walk to the stuffing machine, waiting our turn in line behind a party of little kids. Every single one of them is holding a bear.
In a failed attempt to stifle my giggles, I lean into Nathan's side, trying not to jostle him too much.
"Wh-what is i-i-it?" Nathan leans down over me, his eye brows raised in question.
"Only we could go to Build-a-Bear, and make a Penguin and a Giraffe."
By the time we reach the front of the line we've managed to calm down our laughs to the odd giggle, at least enough to talk to the employee manning the station.
YOU ARE READING
Love, Emma
Teen Fiction"E-Emma? It's okay y-you know. I-I'm used to i-i-it." "You shouldn't have to be, some people disgust me, the nerve of them." "I can't blame t-t-th-them, I m-mean l-l-l-look at m-me." He sounds so defeated, even though I can tell he's trying to hide...
